Tag Archives: The Ringer

The Ringerseeks an associate podcast producer to join its Los Angeles-based digital audio team. The ideal candidate will be creative and self-motivated, will possess experience in all aspects of production, and who loves audio storytelling and knows how to convey stories that are entertaining and engaging.

The associate podcast producer will provide support to the podcast producers and talent covering topics that drive The Ringer universe: sports, popular culture, technology, politics, food, and more.

Responsibilities include:

Work closely with the audio staff in support of production needs

Act as edit or production support for a full range of podcasts, including research and creating outlines for new episodes of existing Ringer podcast series

Covering studio sessions as needed

Organizing and coordinating show delivery schedules

Provide audio engineer functions to the video team

Aid in the operation of studio or field production equipment as necessary

Requirements include:

Minimum of two to three years experience in a professional digital media production role

Must have prior experience as an audio producer, demonstrating an understanding of creating content on the latest social media platforms

Must show a fundamental ability to make sound editorial judgements and balance conflicting priorities

An ability to convey complex information and stories in a clear and engaging way

Knowledge of what makes a story relatable, dramatic and interesting and what makes compelling audio and sound

Deep understanding of news and story lines, with sound journalistic ethics and judgement

This is a permanent, full-time position with comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits. The Ringer would like applicants to attach a cover letter, and samples of previous work if applicable.

Visit The Ringer’s Linkedin to learn more details about this job and how to apply for it.

Spotify announced today that the company has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire The Ringer, a leading creator of sports, entertainment and pop culture content. The Ringer was founded by Bill Simmons in 2016.Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

With this acquisition, Spotify continues to deliver against its goal to become the world’s leading audio platform. The Ringer will bring to Spotify its industry leading sports and entertainment team, podcast catalog and website, further expanding Spotify’s content offering and audience reach. With its popular show lineup, The Ringer also offers new opportunities for monetization along with a continued focus on deepening audience engagement and innovating formats within Spotify’s business model. Not only has Simmons been a podcast pioneer in sports, he has also been a dominant force in the podcast pop culture arena.

“We look forward to putting the full power of Spotify behind The Ringer as they drive our global sports strategy,” said Dawn Ostroff, Chief Content Officer, Spotify. “As we set out to expand our sports and entertainment offerings, we wanted a best-in-class editorial team. Bill Simmons is one of the brightest minds in the game and he has successfully innovated as a writer and content creator across mediums and platforms. The Ringer’s proven track record of creating distinctive culture content as well as discovering and developing top tier talent will make them a formidable asset for Spotify.”

“Spotify has the unique ability to truly supercharge both content and creator talent across genres,” said Bill Simmons, The Ringer founder, and podcast host. “We spent the last few years building a world-class sports and pop culture multimedia digital company and believe Spotify can take us to another level. We couldn’t be more excited to unlock Spotify’s power of scale and discovery, introduce The Ringer to a new global audience and build the world’s flagship sports audio network. We’re joining one of the best media companies in the world. It’s an incredible day for us.”

The transaction is expected to close in Q1 2020 and subject to customary closing conditions.

Vox reported that Spotify is in conversations to buy The Ringer. It seems to me that Vox would likely have some insight on the situation. Vox owns Recode, which has a commercial relationship with The Ringer.

According to Vox, The Wall Street Journal was the first to report about Spotify being in talks to buy The Ringer. The Wall Street Journal reported that Spotify and The Ringer teamed up in September to launch a podcast hosted by Bill Simmons, The Hottest Take. That podcast streams exclusively on Spotify.

The Wall Street Journal described The Ringer this way:

The Ringer, a sports and pop-culture outlet founded by former ESPN commentator Bill Simmons in 2016, has a podcasting network that attracts more than 100 million downloads a month. In addition to “The Bill Simmons Podcast”, the Ringer produces “The Watch,” a discussion show about TV and pop-culture; “Binge Mode”, which dives deep into pop-culture franchises, and “The Rewatchables,” a show that breaks down popular movies.

Vulture points out that these talks are early, and states that there is a good amount of details that probably need to be ironed out if a deal is to materialize. In other words, it is probably best to wait and see what happens, rather than speculate that this is already a done deal.